Solo Spotlight with Ryan MacDougall

This week on Solo Spotlight, Ryan is joined by Mary Tibbetts — keynote speaker, corporate wellness strategist, entrepreneur, founder, and MS advocate. Mary’s story is one of ambition, business success, burnout, a life-changing multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and rebuilding life with more purpose, boundaries, and intention. Before becoming a speaker and advocate, Mary built an award-winning flower sh...

Ryan MacDougall sits down with Edmonton rap duo Dogboys for a raw conversation about brotherhood, sobriety, faith, family loyalty, and building an independent music career from the ground up. Dogboys open up about how music brought them closer as brothers, the making of their album When It’s Finally Dark , their early influences, finding their sound, and what it means to create dark, aggressive mu...

In this episode of Solo Spotlight , Ryan MacDougall sits down with Martin Brooker , a retired Commodore from the Royal Australian Navy, leadership speaker, coach, and advisor, for a conversation about what real leadership looks like when the stakes are high. Martin joined the Navy at just 15 years old and went on to serve for 37 years, leading people through complex, high-pressure environments. Bu...

On this episode of Solo Spotlight , Ryan is joined by David Graham, founder and Chief Exploration Officer of EDGE3, Master Certified Coach, Royal Roads faculty member, TEDx speaker, and program director at Ivey Business School for Executive Education. David shares his journey from acting and cruise directing to marketing and executive coaching. The conversation explores burnout, career change, the...

On this episode of Solo Spotlight, Ryan sits down with Edmonton hip-hop artist Illiam for a conversation about confidence, craft, live performance, fake streams, collaboration, and the reality of building as an independent artist. Illiam opens up about his journey from performing as Hades to becoming a more authentic version of himself, the years he spent writing hundreds of songs before feeling c...

In this episode of Solo Spotlight, Ryan sits down with Ben Popplestone, a keynote speaker, strategist, and adventure mentor who brings together two worlds that may seem completely different at first: high-growth corporate leadership and high-risk adventure. Ben has spent over two decades working inside fast-moving technology and e-commerce companies, helping organizations grow, adapt, and navigate...

Nick VonDub returns to Solo Spotlight for Episode 93 — and this one goes deep. Since his last appearance, a lot has changed. The Moon YEG was forced into a major move after the building it operated in was sold, putting one of Edmonton’s most unique comedy spaces at risk. In this episode, Nick breaks down what happened behind the scenes, how the community rallied together, and what it took to keep...

In this episode of Solo Spotlight, Ryan MacDougall sits down with Greg Clink, a longtime college basketball coach, former head coach of Chico State men’s basketball, and current speaker focused on leadership, communication, and building culture. Greg shares his journey from growing up in California and falling in love with competition, to playing college basketball, coaching for over 30 years, and...

Comedian Jamie Randall joins Solo Spotlight for the first time to talk about the real work behind stand-up comedy. In this episode, Ryan and Jamie get into his journey from music into comedy, finding his voice on stage, writing and testing new material, bombing in front of a crowd, the difference between open mics and paid shows, and what it takes to move from hosting to headlining. Jamie also bre...

In this episode of Solo Spotlight, Ryan sits down with Sara Steeves for a powerful and deeply personal conversation about survival, reclaiming your voice, healing after abuse, and turning lived experience into advocacy. Sara opens up about the path that led her to speak publicly, the role sobriety played in changing her life, the realities of coercive control, and the importance of creating safe s...

In this episode of Solo Spotlight, I sit down with Edmonton-based music duo Murdock Altas to break down their journey, creative process, and the mindset behind their sound. We dive into how both artists developed individually before coming together as a duo, what influences shaped their music, and how they approach creating something authentic in a space that often rewards trends. We also talk abo...

In this episode of Solo Spotlight, Ryan sits down with Lameese Smaili to talk about growing up between Canada and Lebanon, living through crisis, teaching in Lebanon, witnessing the impact of war and displacement, returning to Canada, and building a career in journalism and long-form storytelling. The conversation also dives into media trust, journalistic ethics, and her work hosting Pop-Up Conver...

Ryan Cowan joins Solo Spotlight for a raw and deeply personal conversation about addiction, prison, sobriety, masculinity, mentorship, and rebuilding a life with purpose. In this episode, Ryan opens up about his childhood, the chaos that shaped him early, time spent in jail, the pressure of parole, and how those experiences forced him to confront who he was becoming. He also shares how fitness and...

Celia Bugno is back on Solo Spotlight for a second appearance — and this time we’re dragging art history straight into 2026. We break down the art world’s biggest pressure points right now (museums, funding, culture wars, and the attention economy), then run a full discussion segment: “Art Terms, But Make It 2026.” You’ll hear how the canon became algorithmic, how the gaze became measurable, how m...

In Episode 85 of Solo Spotlight, Ryan sits down with Yenn Purkis — autistic and non-binary author, presenter, and advocate — for a practical, honest conversation about what autism really looks like in day-to-day life. Yenn shares their journey through diagnosis, mental health systems, and rebuilding identity over time — including why they didn’t fully accept their diagnosis for years, and how find...

Nathaniel Blais returns to Solo Spotlight to discuss his rapid growth as a real estate agent, closing 11 deals in his first year in a highly competitive market. In this episode, Nathaniel breaks down what it actually takes to survive and grow in real estate, the mindset required to handle rejection, and how communication, persistence, and self-drive separate successful agents from those who leave...

In this episode, I sit down with Karisse G to talk about his journey as an Edmonton artist—how writing started for him on a family trip to Jamaica in 10th grade, how he linked up with producer Taylor, and what it really takes to build momentum in music. Karisse breaks down the behind-the-scenes reality most people never see: the COVID-era daily grind (including taking three buses just to get to se...

Seriously Taylor joins Solo Spotlight for a real conversation about what actually matters in the studio. We talk the producer/engineer perspective, what separates artists who improve from artists who stay stuck, why “better gear” doesn’t fix weak habits, and how writing/rhythm/syllables can change the entire feel of a record. If you’re an artist, producer, or just curious how songs get built behin...

Burnout. People-pleasing. Trauma. We hear these words everywhere — but most people are still unclear on what they actually mean, how they overlap, and what genuinely helps. In this episode of Solo Spotlight , Ryan MacDougall sits down with Lilly Gonoratsky , a Registered Provisional Psychologist and Certified EMDR Therapist , for a grounded, practical conversation about what’s really happening ben...

Dr. Ian MacNairn is an emergency medicine physician and anthropologist whose career has been shaped by resilience, responsibility, and a deep belief in treating people as kin — not cases. In 2006, Ian was the victim of a hit-and-run accident that changed the trajectory of his life. Recovery led him into ultra-marathon running, graduate studies, a PhD in anthropology, and eventually into emergency...

This week on Solo Spotlight, I’m joined by KYTE — an independent hip-hop artist from northern Alberta — for a real conversation about building music when nobody’s handing you a shortcut. We get into discipline, self-belief, staying consistent, how he approaches writing and recording, and what the “long game” actually looks like as an indie artist. Drop a comment: What matters more for an artist —...

In this episode of Solo Spotlight, Ryan MacDougall sits down with independent reggae artist Caleb Hart for a focused conversation on longevity, discipline, and building a sustainable creative career outside the traditional music industry. Caleb shares his journey as a fully independent artist — from touring and live performance to adapting his hustle in the modern streaming era. Throughout the con...

Stress, hormones, fertility, burnout… and the stories we tell ourselves about all of it. In this episode of Solo Spotlight, Ryan sits down with Sabrina Souto, an acupuncturist and comprehensive health practitioner who helps people untangle their nervous system, belief systems, and biology the right way. Sabrina has spent years working with stress, hormonal issues, fertility and cancer support, ble...

Katanya Timinsky returns to Solo Spotlight for a deeper look into her evolution as a storyteller and the creation of her long-form interview series, The Ethos of Humanity. Our first conversation explored her humanitarian photography in Ukraine and how she learned to hold space for voices affected by conflict. In this follow-up episode, we shift into the present: Katanya has launched her own talk s...

Edmonton’s got talent — and Vintage $oul is proof. In this episode, we sit down with the Edmonton-born artist to talk about conscious, self-aware, old-school leaning hip-hop, why he wants listeners to take a hard look at their lives, and how his music pulls from real experiences like homelessness, family history, and survival-mode independence. We also get into the behind-the-scenes reality of bei...